The Gramophone

I splurged on a cab last night and brought the gramophone home. It took me a while to assemble it, screwing the arm onto the box, putting the sound box onto the J tube, and screwing the crank handle on, but finally the horn was in place and it was ready to go. I had picked up a few records at the antique store down the street (some short violin & piano pieces by  Fritz Kreisler) so I put one on and gave it a whirl. At first it wouldn't play, but then I realized I hadn't cranked the mechanism enough. Once I'd wound it the record spun fast and I placed the nail-like needle on it. It was loud, tinny, and made me feel like I had been sucked back in time.

Each wind-up provided about five minutes worth of music (which is how long the records are) so there's a lot of effort involved in keeping the music going. DJ's of the 30's must have had very strong arms.